Thursday, May 29, 2014

Able-bodied but mentally disabled?

by Nick van der Leek

Is Oscar mentally fit to appear in
court? We know his heroism is based on
his physicality, particularly his physical fitness. His identity is formed around the idea of
speed, the “fastest man with no legs.” But if fitness is quintessential to
qualifying for an Olympic games, which Oscar has done on several occasions, does
mental fitness play any role whatsoever?
And during Oscar’s career, was his mental fitness ever really tested?

Let’s take a look at his backstory,
for some answers.

Invitation in 2007 – then cancelled

The first breakthrough, curiously
enough, is a non-event. The IAAF invites
Pistorius in 2005 to compete with able-bodied athletes at a IAAF Grand Prix in
Helsinki Finland. Pistorius passes this
up due to school commitments, perhaps to maintain his mental fitness in the
classroom. Two years later in Sheffield,
in 2007, Pistorius competes with able-bodied runners, comes seventh, but is
disqualified for running outside his lane (wet conditions may have played a
role). But looking closer, there’s more
to this event than meets the eye.

On March 26, 2007 the IAAF amends its
competition rules to ban “any technical device that incorporates spring, wheels
or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another
athlete not using such a device.” The
amendment, the IAAF says, is not aimed specifically at Pistorius. Even so the IAAF undertakes to monitor
Pistorius during track events, even using high-definition cameras. One of the
events they monitor is the 400 metre event in Sheffied, where Pistorius places
last.

Aiming for China

Digging down, it’s quickly evident the
conscious determination – and focus – involved in Pistorius’ attempt to make
the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Let’s take it
step by step.

In November 2007 Pistorius travels to
Cologne Sports University to participate in a series of scientific tests. Dr. Peter Brüggemann, the university’s Professor of Biomechanics works
under the auspices of Mr. Ellio Locatelli, a man charged with the IAAF’s
technical issues. After two days of exhaustive testing, Brüggemann reports to
the IAAF that Pistorius’ limbs use 25% less energy than able-bodied
athletes. Brüggemann adds that less
vertical energy is applied, further reducing mechanical energy by almost a
third.

A month later, in an interview with Die Welt newspaper, Brüggemann says
Pistorius’ artificial limbs give him “considerable advantages” and “I did not
expect it [the advantage] to be so clear.” From these findings the IAAF rules
in mid January 2008 that Pistorius cannot compete against able-bodied athletes
in IAAF competitions, including the Summer Olympics.

How does Pistorius respond? He calls
the decision of the IAAF “highly subjective” and “premature”. And, rather than accepting the decision,
Pistorius travels to the USA to test “additional variables”.

Consider the scenario here. A disabled person, argues to be allowed to be
seen as an able-bodied athlete, based on sound
reasoning. In other words, science. Pistorius takes his carefully collected
biomechanical measurements to Switzerland,
and in Lausanne appeals the IAAF’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for
Sport.

The variables Pistorius emphasises
include:

-Brüggemann
tests were only at full-speed when Pistorius was running in a straight line

-Brüggemann
did not test the disadvantages, such as at the start and taking both turns in
the 400 metre event.

-Pistorius
claims the disadvantages exactly cancel out any advantages, meaning overall he
has no “net advantage” over able-bodied athletes.

Curiously, in a TV interview
Pistorius gave whilst still at school, he was recorded saying if it wasn’t for
his prosthetics he would never be an Olympian.
Other tests have subsequently shown, based on his physiology, had
Pistorius had normal legs, he would be no better than an average college
athlete. Pistorius’ aware of the high
stakes (Olympics, world records, fame and sponsorship money) seems rather less
humble in his approach to participation a few years later.

Even so, Pistorius’ reasoning is so
effective and convincing the Swiss Court upholds Pistorius’ appeal, and the
IAAF’s decision is revoked with immediate effect. This is a crucial turns point
in Pistorius’ life and career. It’s mid-may
2008. With the summer games less than two months away, Pistorius says, “My
focus throughout this appeal has been to ensure that disabled athletes be given
the chance to compete and compete fairly with able-bodied athletes. In response
to the announcement, I look forward to continuing my quest to qualify for the
Olympics.”

And his studies? He has enrolled for a B.Comm, but he’s making
more than enough money in his career. In
the following month, a June 2008
interview for his University's website, Pistorius jokes: "I won't graduate
soon. With all the training I have had to cut down on my subjects. Hopefully
I'll finish by the time I'm 30!"

At this point Pistorius’ focus was on
getting to the Olympics. In order to qualify, Pistorius will have to run 45.55
seconds (the Olympic “A” standard time) and 45.95 seconds (the “B” qualifying
time). Qualification is restricted to a
maximum of the fastest three athletes who achieve the “A” time per country, or
to be selected as the fourth member of a relay squad (ie without needing to
qualify).

But Pistorius says: "If I make the team I don't want to be the
reserve for the relay, I want to be in the top four. I want to bring something
to the race and make the relay stronger." South Africa’s athletics federation
make a special exception for Pistorius, delaying the announcement of the team
until July 17, to give him a chance.

IAAF vs Pistorius

In July, running in Milan, Pistorius
only manages a time of 47.78 seconds.
Nine days later, in Rome, Pistorius finishes sixth, but his time (46.62)
is still outside the B qualifying time. Four days later the IAAF say they would
prefer it if South Africa’s Olympic Committee not select Pistorius for the 4x
400 metres relay team “for reasons of safety”.

Pistorius calls this the “last
desperate attempt” by the IAAF to prevent him from competing. The irony of
course is that the IAAF originally invited Pistorius to compete in the first
place, but having tested the fairness of their decision, changed their minds. Pistorius is now insisting not only on his
right to compete alongside other athletes (in separate lanes), but running with them in the pack.

If one remembers the “variables”
Pistorius highlighted in his appeal, that running corners and initial
acceleration were disadvantageous; one can immediately see the opportunism and
lack of consistency in his reasoning. In
this sense, by participating alongside several relay teams, Pistorius stands a
good chance of disrupting the performances of other athletes. But how does
Pistorius respond? He threatens legal
action if the IAAF do not confirm it had no
objections to his participation in the relay.

The IAAF are cowed by this threat, and
the publicity surrounding it and immediately release this statement: "The
IAAF fully respects the recent CAS decision regarding the eligibility of Oscar
Pistorius to compete in IAAF competitions, and certainly has no wish to
influence the South African Olympic Committee, who has full authority to select
a men's 4x400m relay team for the Beijing Olympics.”

In
the end, Pistorius fails to qualify for the 400 metres. He manages a personal best on July 16, at the
Spitzen Leichtathletik meeting, but his 46.25 seconds still falls short of the
official qualifying time by 0.7 seconds. South Africa’s Athletics federation
subsequently announces their 4 x 400 metres relay team. All four runners on the
South African team have better times.

First Amputee?

Interestingly,
another South African athlete (a swimmer), Natalie du Toit, becomes the first
amputee to qualify for the Summer Olympics.
It is often incorrectly stated that Pistorius was the first amputee, but
Du Toit is in fact the first.

Responding
to a hypothetical (“would he accept a wild card entry to the Olympics”), Pistorius
reasons as follows: "I do not
believe that I would accept. If I have to take part in the Beijing Games I
should do it because I qualified." Pistorius is quick to place the setback
in perspective. “Sprinters,” he says, “usually
reach their peak between 26 and 29. I will be 25 in London and I'll also have
two, three years' preparation.”

Interestingly,
by September, Pistorius time in the 400 metres is even slower. 47.49 seconds is
a paralympic world record, but still well outside the Olympic qualifying time.

Beaten

In 2011 Pistorius is beaten for the first time by
America’s Jerome Singleton, during an international track event in New Zealand.
Pistorius subsequently wins the 400 metres in 47.28 seconds. In summer of 2011
Pistorius posts three times under 46 seconds, all in able-bodied races. In July
he runs an incredible 45.07 seconds. Given the gulf between 45.07 seconds and
47.28 seconds, times set five months apart in the same year, an inescapable
question arises: is Pistorius adapting his athletic performances? Slower times against fellow Paralympians,
faster efforts against able-bodied athletes?

In
August 2011 Pistorius travels to Daegu, South Korea, where he will have another
chance to run in a relay with able-bodied athletes. Guess what happens? During the heats Pistorius runs the opening
leg in a race that breaks the South African record. Even so, Pistorius is
dropped from his own team for running the slowest split (46.20) “for safety reasons”
according to ASA’s statement.

He
tweets at the time "Haven't been
included in final. Pretty gutted." And later, commenting on the team’s
performance in the final, “Was really hard watching, knowing I deserved to be
part of it." In an interview
afterwards he said, “I was unbelievably chuffed to have broken the South
African record, and hopefully my name will stay on that for a long time to
come."

But
should it? Should a relay record be
allowed to stand if one or more of the athletes uses prosthetics? Even if it does, how does that reflect on the
abilities of the other athletes on
the team who contributed to the record?
This evidently didn’t concern SASCOC,
because in July 2012 they announce Pistorius included in two London
Olympic events, the 400 and 4x 400 metre relay races.

London

Pistorius
subsequently becomes the first amputee runner (but not first amputee) to
compete at an Olympic Games. Interestingly his time in the 400 metre heats is
45.44, just inside the Olympic qualifying time, but in the semifinal, he
finishes last in 46.54 seconds (a time outside the Olympic qualifying time).

Ironically
enough, having elected to allow Pistorius to run the relay’s third leg (“safety
reasons” notwithstanding) , the second South African runner falls resulting in
a last place finish. Nevertheless, the
team appeals and are passed into the final by default. The Kenyan athlete, Vincent Kiilu who caused
Mogwane to fall, is influential in this decision.

This
time Pistorius runs last in a time of 45.9 seconds (in other words, slower than
the Olympic qualifying time). The team
finishes second last.

At the
Paralympics Alan Oliveira of Brazil defeats Pistorius in the 200 metres. Pistorius immediately complains about the
length of Oliveira’s blades. Pistorius later apologises for his outburst, but
not for the content of his complaint. The IPC confirms Pistorius had complained
six weeks before the event. Even so, all
athletes in the final are tested and measured and the IPC confirms Oliveira’s blades are indeed
proportional to his body.

In
sum, Pistorius’ narrative shows an insistence to be made the exception to
rules, and unfortunately – perhaps due to sympathy, or compassion – Pistorius is
allowed time and again to have his way when common sense ought to have dictated
otherwise. Incredibly, Pistorius flouted the rules and wishes not only of South
Africa’s athletics federation, but also the IAAF, a body that had originally
extended him an invitation. As the
narrative demonstrates, Pistorius went so far as to threaten legal action
against the IAAF if his wishes weren’t abided by, which signals a very high
level of personal entitlement, and possibly greed. This same sense of
entitlement is clearly evident in his strident attempts to participate in the
relay event.

What’s
craziest of all is this guy built a fortune on courting the media and building
a brand on sponsorships worth millions.
He was so careful in his tailoring of his image he goes so far as to
dictate what his girlfriends should do in public. What they should wear, how they should
introduce him, not to chew gum.

Given
Pistorius’ record at pleading his own case, can one really be expected to
believe – on a murder charge – he has suddenly lost the ability to assuage
right from wrong? That his anxiety makes
him dysfunctional? That if he knows how
to market and sell his brand to sports corporation his knowledge of reasonable
conduct is otherwise defective? Has his own defense forgotten their man who is
too disabled for flight is has been claiming the right to run alongside
able-bodied athletes his whole adult life.
He was the star of the London Summer Olympic Games, and South Africa’s
flag bearer? Craziest of all is the
guy who wants, more than anything, to be seen as able bodied, having killed his
girlfriend, turns to mental disability as his defence.

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